The present invention relates to an infusion pump, and more particularly to an infusion pump having a function to prevent, when a door is opened and a midway part of a detachable infusion tube is to be temporarily held in a fixed position of a pump body, the door from being closed if the part is not properly set in the fixed position.
There are a number of known types of infusion pumps including a peristaltic infusion pump with which infusion is accomplished by successively pressing an infusion tube with fingers, a roller type infusion pump with which infusion is accomplished by pressing an infusion tube with a disk provided with a rotary roller, and a syringe type infusion pump with which infusion is accomplished by pressing the piston of a syringe.
Out of these different types of infusion pumps, in the peristaltic infusion pump so configured as to accomplish infusion by successively pressing its infusion tube with fingers, after a door is opened, a midway part of the detachable infusion tube is temporarily held in a groove which is to serve as the fixed position of this part on the infusion pump body side, the door is closed and fixed to the pump body, the infusion tube is fully held by placing it in a state of being interposed between a plurality of fingers which are individually driven on the outer circumferential face of an infusion tube by a pumping mechanism built into the pump body and a bearing plate with an energizing function provided on the door, and infusion is carried out by pressing the outer circumferential face with the plurality of fingers along with the driving of the pump mechanism.
The peristaltic infusion pump configured as described above is readied for use in infusion when, after holding the midway part of the detachable infusion tube in the groove which is to serve as the fixed position of this part on the infusion pump body side, the door is closed.
More specifically, the upstream side of the infusion tube is set in the groove in the pump body and passed over the plurality of fingers of the pump mechanism, and the downstream side is temporarily set in a tube clamp. In this temporary setting, even if the infusion tube is not properly passed over the plurality of fingers of the pump mechanism, the door may be closed because the tube is soft enough to allow that. Especially when someone else than a nurse, such as the patient himself or herself or one of his or her family members, handles the pump, the door is more likely to be closed with the infusion tube pinched in-between. It is necessary to anticipate such a dangerous case in order to prevent accidents that could otherwise be avoided.
As the door is mounted with various functional parts which add to its weight, simple pivoting of the door on the pump body to make possible its easy opening and closing might entail the operational inconvenience of letting the door automatically close by its own weight.
The present invention, attempted in view of these problems, is intended to provide an infusion pump having a function to prevent its door from closing or being closed if, after the door is opened and a midway part of an infusion tube is temporarily held in its fixed position on the pump body, the infusion tube is not properly set in its fixed position.
The invention is also intended to provide an infusion pump improved in operational convenience for the opening and closing of its door to be provided on the pump body to be readily opened or closed.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same name or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.